Chhattisgarh

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Chhattisgarh (Chhattisgarhi: छत्तीसगढ़), a state in central India, formed when the sixteen Chhattisgarhi speaking southeastern districts of Madhya Pradesh gained statehood on November 1, 2000. Raipur serves as its capital. It is the 10th largest state of India.

It borders Madhya Pradesh on the northwest, Maharashtra on the west, Andhra Pradesh on the south, Orissa on the east, Jharkhand on the northeast and Uttar Pradesh on the north.

The Chhattisgarhi language, part of the East-Central group of Indo-Aryan languages, predominates language in the region. The hill districts of the state serve as a home to the Gond peoples, who speak Dravidian languages.

1 Geography
2 Politics
3 Districts
4 Recent developments
5 Economy
6 Transportation
7 Culture, etc
- 7.1 Food habit and lifestyle
8 External links

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Geography

Image:IndiaChhattisgarh.PNG

The northern part of the state lies on the edge of the great Indo-Gangetic plain: The Rihand River, a tributary of the Ganges, drains this area. The eastern end of the Satpura Range and the western edge of the Chota Nagpur Plateau form an east-west belt of hills that divide the Mahanadi River basin from the Indo-Gangetic plain. The central part of the state lies in the fertile plain of the Mahanadi and its tributaries, with extensive rice cultivation. The southern part of the state lies on the Deccan plateau, in the watershed of the Godavari River and its tributary the Indravati. Forests cover roughly forty-four percent of the state.

Mahanadi (one of largest rivers in India) originates from Chhattisgarh. Other main rivers are Hasdo (a tributary of Mahanadi), Rihand, Indravati, Jonk and Arpa.

The north and south part of the state is hilly. The middle part is plain. The weather and climate is typical to that of central India.

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Politics

There is heavy presence of armed communists (known as Naxalites) in southern and northern part of the state. There are 4 major political parties having followersin the state:

Bharatiya Janata Party (Currently holding the majority in the Legislative Assembly of Chhattisgarh)
Indian National Congress(Indira) (Held the majority the last time around)
Bahujan Samaj Party
Gondwana Party

Also see:

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Districts

Image:Map Chhattisgarh Districts All.png Bastar, Bilaspur, Dantewada (South Bastar), Dhamtari, Durg, Janjgir-Champa, Jashpur, Kanker (North Bastar), Kawardha, Korba, Koriya (Korea), Mahasamund, Raigarh, Raipur, Rajnandgaon, and Surguja.

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Recent developments

On September 3, 2005, twenty policemen were killed by a mine in the district of Bijapur. The mine had been laid there by Naxalite rebels, who have joined with the rebels in Nepal and Bangladesh. (20 indische Polizisten durch Mine getötet, September 4, 2005, Neue Zürcher Zeitung).

On February 28, 2006, 55 civilians were killed in Dantewada District after their trucks were blown up by Naxalites, one of the deadliest such Naxalite attacks in India's history. Smaller numbers of people have continued to perish in continued attacks related to the Naxalite rebellion. (Fear triggers exodus in India's Maoist Badlands, March 8, 2006, ABC News).

On March 25, 2006, thirteen civilians were killed in Kanker District after a land mine detonated underneath their jeep. Naxalite rebel involvement has been alleged by local police. (India landmine blast 'kills 13', March 25, 2006, BBC News).

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Economy

Chhattisgarh's gross state domestic product for 2004 is estimated at 12 billion USD in current prices. After partition, this mineral-rich state produces 30% of the output of the old Madhya Pradesh state.

The state's economy is further fueled by the presence of the Bhilai Steel Plant, Bilaspur Railway Yard, BALCO Aluminium Plant (Korba), and NTPC Kobra (National Thermal Power Corporation Ltd). The city of Korba is a hub for power generation, from where the electricity is supplied to several other Indian states. Abudance of electric power makes Chattisgarh a coveted place for business investment.

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Transportation

The rail network in Chattisgarh is centered on Bilaspur serving as a big railway yard. Other main railway junctions include Raipur, Durg, Rajnandgaon, etc. These junctions are well connected to all the major cities of India.

The raodways infrastructre is also picking up in the state. The NH 6 (Bombay to Kolkata) passes through the state. The state also hosts NH 43 which starts from Raipur and goes up to Vizag (Vishakhapatnam).

The air infracture as of now in the state is minor. Raipur, the capital city, is the sole commercially operating airport of the state. However, of late, Raipur has air links to top four cities of the country i.e. Delhi, Bombay, Kolkata, and Chennai. The state, however, has air strips in Bhilai, Jagdalpur, Sarguja, Korba, etc.

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Culture, etc

Chhattisgarh is one of the least developed states of India. The per capita income is around 250 USD as of 2001. Only 20% of population lives in urban areas. Basic amenities like telephone service are not available in many areas.

Chhattisgarh is very different from other states known to outside world.Template:Fact It is the state where society was least affected by classical doctrines of Hinduism and most of the customs and cultural practices are unique. As such women here are quite powerful in society compared to other parts of India, and they can choose and even terminate a marriage at will. Most of the old temples here are related to women power (eg Shabari, Mahamaya, Danteshwari).Template:Fact This state also host many religious sects like Satnami, Kabirpanth, Ramnami Samaj, and others which originated as reaction to caste based Hinduism practised by outsiders coming to the state.

Chhattisgarh is favorite of anthropologists and sociologists due to its relevant profile. For more information, see:

Books by Indologist Prof H. L. Shukla :
- "Chhattisgarh Rediscoverd" on oral history of the state, and
- "History of the People of Bastar"
"Tribal History of Central India" by R.K. Sharma and S.K. Tiwari, Other link
"Culture" subtitle under this link: Raipur District. It gives a good account of local culture, festivals, dress and music.
Tribals of Bastar, South Chhattisgarh
Tribals of Dantewara, South Chhattisgarh
Tribals of Jashpur, North Chhattisgarh

On sunday usually, markets are arranged in some prominent villages. Chhattisgarh has identified and is developing ethnic villages and private sector is encouraged for proper maintenance and professional site management of important heritage sites/monuments.

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Food habit and lifestyle

Rice is the staple food of people in Chhattisgarh. Normally villagers wake up at dawn before sunrise. They start their day by brushing their teeth with brush made by a small branch of some tree (especially Neem). Then they take care of their cattle (normally water buffalos, cows and chickens). This includes feeding them and taking water-buffalo to some pond or rivulet for washing. If it is the season then they use a cart (known as Garaa) driven by a pair of water buffalos to carry the fertiliser made of dung to their agricultural fields in the morning. Or they plow their fields with the help of water buffalo.

After this, they take their bath either in the water of some well or water of some pond or river or rivulet. It is noteworthy that in the plains area of Chhattisgarh, each house in the village has one water-well adjacent to the house.

Image:Water buffalo bathing.jpg

In the morning, women cook a kind of rice-cake. It is prepared by first mixing the coarse flour of rice with some water (making a thick paste), and then some tree leaves are used to cover the paste from all side and is baked among burning charcoals.

This rice-cake is eaten with some chutney (made by mixing and grinding things like tomato, garlics, some chillies and some vegetables). In addition, in the night steamed rice (known as 'Bhath') is dropped in some good amount of water. In the morning (around 8-9 am), this steamed rice mixed with water (along with salt and sometimes some curd) is eaten.

After this, usual working day starts. In the noon (around 12), they take their meal. It usually consists of steamed rice, some dal, and one vegetable. Sometimes they eat some non-veg items like chicken (known as 'Kookri'), fish ('Maachhi'), prawns/shrimps ('Chingari'), mutton ('Bokara') or any item that they can get in the field or river like mushrooms ('Putu'), shells/snails ('Ghongha'), crabs and others. Though most of people are non-vegetarian, they eat these items infrequently (unlike other countries). Some people avoid non-veg items and even items that look red due to religious beliefs (probably it is the remaining influence of Buddhism on the religious behaviours in the region).

Villagers go to bed at around 7 pm (just after having meal after sunset), though it might not be the case in houses having TVs and electricity connection.

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